Daniella's calling
by Daniella Defines Divinity
Summary: An OT story. An ex-trainer starting anew, meets an over excited trainer who is out for the first time and so their journey begins.
1. All over again

Disclaimer and summary  
  
I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters, but I do own my original characters.  
  
Meh, my last one was crap so I took it down and decided to rewrite it. The story follows the character Daniella and her adventure in the Pokemon world. The story takes a more realistic approach to the life on the road with a lot of unexpected twists that will keep you coming back for more.  
  
Anyway I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to your reviews.  
  
Chapter1 Daniella's headphones played Outkast into her ear as she strolled down the forest path, and she bounced her head in rhythm with the music making her rich brown hair swish from side to side every time, one ear piece in and the other dangling around her neck. The trees were crawling with bug Pokemon and the Pokeballs on her belt jingled lightly as she walked. Only two of the six was actually full, one only a fresh catch from the previous day, and the other her faithful Nidoqueen which she had trained from the very beginning when she was 13. After she had graduated from the Viridian Poketech she started on her trainer journey, but after two and half years she went back home after hearing her father was sick. She stayed with her family, giving up her other Pokemon to trainers because she felt she couldn't train anymore, but she couldn't give up Nidoqueen who had been her friend since the beginning and stood by her. Eventually the inevitable happened, and he passed away. She stayed at home with her family, but it wasn't in her nature to be cooped up with a normal job. Finally after 18 months of staying at home her mother saw that she was even more down than before, and pushed her back out the door where she was meant to be.   
  
Daniella's brown eyes glanced down at her wrist and at her black watch. It was 13:00 and she slid her bag off her shoulder, and then dumped it by a tree before sitting down next to it herself still nodding her head. She looked down at her now slightly scuffed white trainers and took one off, wriggling her toes while fishing out the pebble in her shoe. After putting it back on she turned off her CD player not wanting to risk wasting batteries unless she was really bored, as she grabbed a cheese sandwich from her bag. The sky was overcast and grey, but the air was very sticky so her grey zip-up sweater remained tied around her hips to relieve the heat. She had also rolled up her jeans so that they were three-quarter lengths in order to keep cool, but it didn't seem to be working. She adjusted the straps of her white top on her shoulders to get rid of the sticky feeling and finally tucked into her sandwich.  
  
Further down the path, a kid that had just started out was overjoyed with his first capture and eagerly scouted the path ahead for any signs of life that he could show-off his catch too. His blue eyes gleamed in excitement as he spotted someone under a tree even though two inches of thick blonde hair hung over his face. He bore a crooked smile that had seen too many sweets as he ran towards her in a hurry, stopping just in front of her. He just stood their wearing the cheesiest grin Daniella had ever seen, expecting her to say something first. She raised an eyebrow at him, which he took as an unspoken sign to speak.  
  
"Battle me!!!!!!...Uhhh.... I mean would you like to battle?"  
  
It was obvious that this guy was just a kid, and it didn't seem right to fight with someone so small, but he seemed so keen. Finally she gave in to his adorable chubby cheeks, deciding it was also a chance to get some training in for Weedle.  
  
"Alright, lets make it a one on one match, K?"  
  
Daniella was surprised his face did hurt from smiling so much as his grin stretched impossibly further across his face. She stood up and crammed the last bit of crust in her face before walking out into the middle of the path. Daniella didn't even have the time to finish chewing properly before he threw out his Pokeball.  
  
"Go Wurmple!"  
  
The little red worm wriggled out into the centre, and the boy hopped about in glee.  
  
"Alright, I choose Weedle!"  
  
The bug crawled forward to face Wurmple, and Daniella had only just swallowed her food when the battle began.  
  
"Tackle it Wurmple!"  
  
"String shot."  
  
The Wurmple dashed forwards surprisingly fast towards Weedle, but made the mistake of running head on making him an easy target for Weedle's string shot. It slowed down considerably as it inched ever closer. Weedle easily sidestepped Wurmple's slower attack.  
  
"Wurmple, tackle again!"  
  
"Use poison sting!"  
  
The two close range attacks collided and knocked them both back from the force of the hit.  
  
"Weedle, make some distance between you!"  
  
The yellow caterpillar hastily moved backwards out of the way.  
  
"Don't let it get away! Tackle!"  
  
"Alright, wait for it... Poison sting!"  
  
Just as Wurmple got close, Weedle swung his tail around and penetrated the Wurmple in the side. The attack wasn't particularly strong, but in the kid's eagerness to battle he had forgotten to let it heal properly and it sank down to the ground. Even Daniella was surprised at how quickly it was over, and a tinge of guilt swept through her for picking on just a little kid.  
  
"Wha? What happened? I don't get it... I knew all the moves and everything..."  
  
He recalled his Wurmple, his head hung low and smile wiped clean from his face.  
  
"Hey its nothing to be sad about, you were just a bit too over excited and released it too soon. I think it was still weak from whatever you did before with it."  
  
She smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder, which only came up to her bellybutton. He reminded her of herself as a kid, naïve and impressionable, and all too eager.  
  
"What's your name kid?"  
  
"Tommy... I'm going to be a Pokemon Master!"  
  
Daniella smiled at his quick recovery, his determination would keep him going but he still had much to learn. He lacked experience, but she had plenty of it and women's intuition gave her an edge in thinking up plans and staying level headed. Daniella smiled again as she walked over to pick up her bag while recalling Weedle, a spur of the moment idea emerging in her mind. She felt sorry for the kid and wanted to help him, probably her mothering instinct was to blame.  
  
"Nice to meet you, my name's Daniella... So that means you're facing the gyms here right?"  
  
He silently nodded.  
  
"Well since you're travelling alone and I'm thinking of perhaps revisiting the gyms to get some training advice, perhaps we should travel to the next town together. I don't know about you, but it's kinda lonely walking in this forest."  
  
Once more his face was invaded by his cheesy grin.  
  
"Sure! Sounds cool to me!"  
  
"Alright, then it's settled. Lets go!"  
  
They continued to walk down the path, Daniella taking neat steps while Tommy dragged his black trainers along the ground. The bottom of his jeans was caked in a thick layer of dust, and Daniella noticed that his baggy green shirt was on inside out. This kid was a real scatterbrain, but his adorable smile and determined nature made up for that. The journey ahead would be an interesting one indeed. 


	2. An old friend

Chapter2  
  
They had been walking for about an hour now, Tommy still reliving their battle while Daniella nodded with an "uh-huh", or a "yeah", every now and then. His arms flapped about wildly as he acted out Weedle's string shot. Daniella quickly took her chance to change the subject when he paused to take a quick breath.  
  
"So what Pokemon did you choose for your starter?"  
  
"I got a Charmander! He's sooooooo cool and tough looking. Hey do you have any others?"  
  
Daniella smiled as he craned his neck to look up at her like a child waiting for a bedtime story.  
  
"I have a Nidoqueen, she was my starter, a graduation present from my dad. I did have others but I gave them away."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I gave up training after two years so I could be at home."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just because..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Finally Tommy's game had worn thin, and Daniella regretted having asked him to travel with her as she lashed out at him.  
  
"I said I didn't want to talk about it, so stop asking!"  
  
"Ok!"  
  
Her angered outburst hadn't phased him in the slightest and made Daniella blink in confusion, throwing her off-balance and making her anger fizzle out. He still wore his lopsided grin as he walked, his t-shirt now on the right way after Daniella had pointed it out.  
  
"Sorry... It's just a sensitive subject."  
  
They continued to walk a little while longer in silence until Daniella spoke again.  
  
"I used to have an Arcanine once, she was very pretty and won me my badge from Blaine back when I was 14. She was up against a Charmeleon, that thing was pretty tough. Hey if you train your Charmander well he'll evolve into one"  
  
The conversation continued making the time fly by quickly until finally darkness crawled over the horizon. There was a loud growl from the pit of Tommy's stomach, and Daniella rolled her eyes.  
  
"Alright, we'll stop here for the night"  
  
The prospect of food made Tommy's eyes glitter and he licked his lips, calling out his Charmander to get a fire going. The little red lizard waddled off into the surrounding trees to get some wood and Daniella took out a completely red item ball, releasing the tent. Tommy seemed amazed by the invention having never seen an item ball before, all his items were stuffed messily into his backpack that was twice the size that he was. Daniella didn't even flicker an eyelid at it, she had been used to having item balls since the beginning of her journey, and they made everything so much easier.  
  
Charmander finally returned and got a fire going, and soon Daniella had some soup cooking over the fire. After ladling out generous portions and filling their stomachs, they crawled into the tent and fell asleep. The morning came swiftly and Daniella sneaked out through the tent flap being careful not to wake Tommy who was still sound asleep. In a flash of red light she had released both Nidoqueen and Weedle, she nodded at Nidoqueen who knew exactly what to do after years of training. She shuffled forwards slightly towards the tent, and lowered her gigantic head into the tent. She took in a deep breath and let out an earthshaking roar.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Tommy sat bolt up right, his heart ready to leap out of his chest as he was face to face with a chuckling Nidoqueen. Nidoqueen walked away and Daniella poked her head through the flap.  
  
"Come on, if you want to travel with me you've got to wake up early to get some training in. Keeps you fit and strong!"  
  
Tommy was forcefully dragged out of the tent to wake him up properly, and even then he was still moaning. Finally after opening his eyes and spotting the Pokemon, he jumped up ready for action. Daniella rolled her eyes at his unpredictable nature and got the training underway, which consisted of a short jog, stretches and an exercise for strengthening attacks. An hour later and with full bellies they set out on the road again. Tommy was jumping about, running off to investigate even the slightest of noises in the neighbouring bushes, while Daniella walked down the middle of the path, looking at her feet and thinking to herself.  
  
Did she really want to do the gym challenge all over again? It just didn't seem right, but she didn't like the idea of being a breeder or professor. Perhaps specialising in a particular type of Pokemon, but which one? There were so many to choose from.  
  
"Hey You!"  
  
Daniella looked up in surprise, she had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the trainer that was approaching them. His dark shaven hair and piercing blue eyes seemed strangely familiar, and he smiled warmly.  
  
"What? Don't you recognise me? Here, this'll jog your memory"  
  
He took off his shoes and put them on the ground, before placing one of his knees in each shoe making him look like a midget. Daniella instantly recognised his short stature and the scar on the top of his head, and with it a flood of memories from Poketech.  
  
"Paul! Hey, how's it been? What brings you back here?"  
  
He laughed as he stood up and put his shoes back on, now standing a head above Daniella.  
  
"Now this feels weird, being taller than you. I'm just going back home for a visit. Hey my mum told me what happened, I'm really sorry."  
  
"Don't be, it's not your fault"  
  
There was an awkward silence where they just stood around staring at each other. Finally Paul broke the silence.  
  
"So... Who's your friend here?"  
  
Daniella didn't get the chance to speak, as Tommy gleefully introduced himself. "I'm Tommy, and I'm going to be a Pokemon master!"  
  
"Woah, looks like I've got some competition, eh? Are you still chasing that dream too Daniella?"  
  
"Nah, it just doesn't seem right anymore... dunno why."  
  
"Well that doesn't mean a battle won't hurt, what do you say?"  
  
A smug smile spread across her face.  
  
"Even after I whooped your ass back in Poketech? You've either forgotten that, or you're hiding something up your sleeve."  
  
"We'll see. 2v2 like old times?"  
  
Daniella simply nodded as she plucked off her first Pokeball ready to begin. 


End file.
